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Quote:tomk said:I guess he had some problems with alcohol later in life, though. Seems to be common among zen buddhists?!?

I've heard people bashing Alan Watts before by bringing up his alcohol addiction. What Im wondering is how that has any relevance to his spiritual teachings?

I personally don't begrudge the man his alcohol addiction. However, I think that people getting into Alan Watts should know he had that problem. The same way people studying Krishnamurti should know he had a really long affair with his friends wife that broke up his inner circle.

In both cases, the problem is relevant to the teaching, because it lets us see where the teacher may be projecting the advice he needs for himself onto his audience. Krishnamurti talking about controlling your sexual response so as not to hurt people, for example, needs to be seen in the light of him being a person struggling with just that.

ETA: Saying I am bashing Alan Watts by non-commentially mentioning his alcohol addiction reveals more about what your sensitivities then it does about what I said.

Sorry. That was bad. Not for your reason, but because I don't know what you were like before you confronted philosophy like Alan Watts. Maybe he didn't confirm your biases if confronting his thoughts changed some of your ideas. I apologize man.